As the interested parties continue to digest the environmental assessment for Taseko's proposed New Prosperity open pit copper and gold mine, the attention is beginning to shift to federal Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq.
Over the next four months Aglukkaq must determine if she thinks the mine, which would be located 125 kilometres south of Williams Lake, will pose a significant environmental risk. If she rules that it will cause environmental damage then Aglukkaq and her cabinet colleagues must decide if those risks are worth sacrificing when weighed against the economic benefits the mine could bring to the region, province and country.
The cabinet could rule that the benefits outweigh the risks and that Taseko should be given a certificate to proceed to the detailed design phase of the project or it could stop the mine in its tracks by denying a certificate.
The provincial government must also sign off on the plan. Although that has yet to officially happen with the latest iteration of Taseko's proposal, Mines and Energy Minister Bill Bennett has spoken publicly about the benefits of the mine.
The environmental assessment report was issued last week by a three-member panel appointed by the previous Environment Minister Peter Kent. It determined that seepage from the mine could get into Fish Lake and pose a risk to fish and fish habitat, that aboriginal cultural traditions would be impacted if the mine was built and the cumulative impact of the mine and other developments could hurt the local endangered grizzly bear population.
As Aglukkaq pores over the details of the 323 pages of testimony, data and conclusions, she can expect to hear from all sides looking to nudge her in their direction.
Sierra Club of B.C. executive director Bob Peart said one thing his organization does well is to engage their membership to make their voices heard on topics important to the environmental organization.
"It would really be a shame if [Aglukkaq] went against all the information in front of her," he said. "The aboriginal people, I don't think they will stand for it."
Taseko has already begun to prepare its own report to refute the conclusions of the panel and the Vancouver-based mining company also plans to emphasize the jobs the mine would create and the tax revenue it would generate once in operation.
"It ought to go forward, it should go forward, it should be approved," Taseko vice president for corporate affairs Brian Battison said of the mine. "It's in the interest of people, it's in the national and provincial interest and it's certainly in the regional interest."
Meanwhile, provincial and federal politicians who support the mine don't plan to try to directly lobby Aglukkaq, but will continue to speak out in favour of the project.
Cariboo-Chicoltin Liberal MLA Donna Barnett, who has been advocating for a mine on the New Prosperity site for two decades, said conflict of interest rules prevent her from speaking directly with Aglukkaq during the review period. But she will keep talking with other politicians, including B.C. Conservative MPs about the merits of the mine.
